mushy

/ˈmʌ.ʃi/

//ˈmʌ.ʃi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"mushy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mushy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,264. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,264
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Resembling or having the consistency of mush; semiliquid, pasty, or granular.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mushy · mushy · English

mushy · rank #31,264 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,264
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mull

Nearest frequency peer: mull (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “mushy”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “mushy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mushy vs must
60% similar
mushy vs musk
60% similar
mushy vs music
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mushy
PropertyValue
Headwordmushy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmʌ.ʃi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#31,264
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mushy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).mushylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “mull” (#31,263), “Nauru” (#31,265), “Nepalese” (#31,266). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mushy” is #31,264. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around mushy (IPA /ˈmʌ.ʃi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,264 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for mushy, with forms such as "mmushy", "msuhy", and "muhsy". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "must", "musk", "music", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mush + -y. The correct English form is mushy, spelled M-U-S-H-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resembling or having the consistency of mush; semiliquid, pasty, or granular.
  2. 2
    Soft; squishy.
  3. 3
    Overly sappy, corny, or cheesy; sentimental, especially in a romantic way; maudlin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how mushy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I don't especially like mushy oatmeal.
  2. Today, some seafood experts say, the cheaper (though mushier) roe feeds 60 percent of the market.

Etymology

From mush + -y.

This word in other languages

blando(Español)pâteux(Français)matschig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmushy
  • msuhy
  • muhsy
  • mushhy
  • mushyy
  • musshy
  • musyh
  • umshy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mushy - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mmushy1msuhy2muhsy2mushhy1mushyy1musshy1musyh2umshy2
Edit distance from "mushy"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mushy"?
"mushy" is spelled M-U-S-H-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌ.ʃi/.
What does "mushy" mean?
As an adjective, "mushy" means: Resembling or having the consistency of mush; semiliquid, pasty, or granular.
What words are commonly confused with "mushy"?
"mushy" is commonly confused with "must", "musk", "music". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mushy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mushy" is /ˈmʌ.ʃi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "mushy"?
From mush + -y. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mushy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Nauru#31,265Mohan#31,261ovary#31,282palma#31,284

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

ocular8 variantsmailer8 variantsLasalle8 variantsPhipps8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list